Posted on 06/29/2010 12:28:46 PM PDT by kbennkc
Top union leader Thomas Balanoff said he was at dinner the night before the November Presidential election when he got a call that was blocked. So he didn't take it.
Later he listened to his messages: "I walked outside, listened to it and it was from President Obama," Balanoff said.
"Tom, this is Barack, give me a call," the soon-to-be President-Elect said on the message.
After Balanoff sent word through an Obama aide to call him back, Obama returned his call later that night.
"Tom, i want to talk to you with regard to the Senate seat," Obama told him. Balanoff said Obama said he had two criteria: someone who was good for the citizens of Illinois and could be elected in 2010. Obama said he wasn't publicly coming out in support of anyone but he believed Valerie Jarrett would fit the bill. "I would much prefer she (remain in the White House) but she does want to be Senator and she does meet those two criteria," Balanoff said Obama told him. "I said: 'thank you, I'm going to reach out to Gov. Blagojevich."
(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.suntimes.com ...
Let justice be dine .
Tom Balanoff is the president of Service Employees International Union Illinois Council and the Vice President of its International Executive Board, as well as the President of SEIU Local 1 with 40,000 janitors and security guards.[1]
Breitbart offers $100K reward for 400 commie lib member journlist!...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IU0M2Fz5J14&feature=player_embedded#!
Let’s hope that Blogo takes Obummer down the river.
BUMP
“I would much prefer she (remain in the White House) but
she does want to be Senator and she does meet those two criteria,” Balanoff said Obama told him.
“I said: ‘thank you, I’m going to reach out to Gov. Blagojevich.”
Balanoff then described a Nov. 6, 2008 meeting he had with Rod Blagojevich to recommend Valerie Jarrett for Barack Obama’s Senate seat.
Blagojevich responded that he was in “active discussions” with the Madigans about appointing Lisa Madigan and was holding out for a legislative package with the House speaker.
“I said that could be months. He said, ‘Yeah’. I said Valerie Jarrett, I don’t believe she has that kind of time,” Balanoff testified.
Blago then turned the conversation to a cabinet position, Balanoff said.
“He said, ‘You know, I love being governor, but my real passion is health care,’” and then he asked about the Health and Human Services cabinet post.
“I told him that’s not going to happen,” Balanoff said. “He said, “Is that because of all the investigations around me?”
~~~~~~~~~
“I would much prefer she (remain in the White House) but
she does want to be Senator and she does meet those two criteria,” Balanoff said Obama told him.
_______________________________________
Why do I keep thinking ‘somebody’ in the US Atty’s office network tipped off the WH about the impending investigation via one of their Chicago insiders, and they backed off the Jarrett choice ?
How is it possible 0bama will not be required to at the very least provide written testimony, if he pulls the “I’m too busy to be subpoenaed” line?
How long before the left invents a derisive word for this?
Balanoffer?
The list, ping
Also in his testimony, Balanoff revealed Jarrett knew Obama called him the day before the election about her being named senator.
The morning of the election, Balanoff said he had a discussion on the phone with Jarrett in which he talked about her wanting the Senate seat.
“Didn’t Barack call you last night?” Jarrett asked, according to Balanoff. “Well, I am interested.” He said she told him.
~~~
There ya go ...
Ooops .. link to the above
http://blogs.suntimes.com/blago/2010/06/witness_giannoulias_at_meeting.html
Just like if there were audio of some woman accusing Vice-President Dick Cheney of sexual harassment, every network would cover the allegations.
to benlurkin...that logo is exceptional..needs to go viral!!!
Why do I keep thinking ‘somebody’ in the US Atty’s office network tipped off the WH about the impending investigation via one of their Chicago insiders, and they backed off the Jarrett choice ?
http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/blagojevich/2336924,CST-NWS-blagoprose31.article
Leading the government’s team will be Schar, 38, a Northwestern University Law School graduate who has tried some 157 cases for the federal government since 1999, including fraud and corruption cases. He graduated undergrad from Stanford University with departmental honors, clerked for U.S. District Judge Elaine E. Bucklo and worked as an associate with Sidley & Austin from 1998-1999.
“Anyone in the office would say Reid is one of the best trial lawyers in recent memory,” said Cramer. “Reid knows how to structure a case with a lot of moving pieces.”
In the Blagojevich case, that will include cooperating witnesses, playing 97 recorded conversations, referring to seized documents, analyzing bank and tax records.
They will try to convince the jury that Blagojevich was a greedy, desperate politician, grasping at a chance to benefit from his power to appoint a replacement to President Obama’s vacant Senate seat. But the prosecution has a wide-ranging case that will delve into Rod Blagojevich’s — and his wife, Patti’s — dealings with Tony Rezko, who is not expected to take the stand.
“Reid is extremely adept at weaving a cohesive, coherent and persuasive narrative,” Cramer said. “He’s probably one of the best I’ve ever seen do that.”
Niewoehner, 40, was the lead prosecutor in the Rezko case as well as the corruption case against former 10th Ward Ald. Edward Vrdolyak. He earned his law degree from Harvard with high honors and joined the U.S. attorney’s office in 2000. He clerked for U.S. District Judge Milton I. Shadur from 1997 to 1998 and worked as an associate at Sidley Austin from 1998-2000.
Hamilton, 39, is a Bloomington native and a 1996 Northwestern Law School graduate who also worked as an associate at Katten Muchin as well as Grippo & Elden. Hamilton joined the U.S. attorney’s office in Chicago in 2001 and prosecuted Muhammad Salah, a Bridgeview man accused of fund-raising for a Palestinian terrorist organization, and ex-Death Row inmate Aaron Patterson.
Also on the trial team are FBI, IRS and U.S. Postal Service investigative agents, including FBI Special Agent Daniel Cain. Working behind the scenes is FBI supervisory agent Patrick Murphy, described by insiders as the architect of the underlying Operation Board Games investigation, which included the cases against Blagojevich, Rezko, Stuart Levine, Ed Vrdolyak and businessman William Cellini.
Two Americas!!! One where Democrats can commit MURDER and the MSM won’t cover it, but if a Republican says “maacaca” about a guy that has been FOLOWING HIM TO EVERY EVENT (STALKING and TAPING), well, THAT is news for YEARS AND YEARS!!
http://illinoiscorruption.blogspot.com/2008/12/why-is-illinois-so-corrupt.html
Friday, December 12, 2008
Why is Illinois So Corrupt?
Watch the videos on this site:
http://www.crimefilenews.com/2008/12/chicago-corruption-fighter-and-author.html
Robert Cooley is a former mafia lawyer who worked with corrupt Illinois officials and judges. He turned state’s witness and he explains how the Chicago “Machine” still run by Alderman Ed Burke who “picks” the judges and controls the Chicago City Finance Committee and his wife corrupt Illinois Supreme Court Justice Ann Burke still are up to their ears in corrupt politics as usual. He talks how this cabal of corruption:
1- controls the media,
2-pays off the U S Attorney (former and probably still pays off his middle men, hired during this super corrupt era, who hide stuff from present US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald so the only people prosecuted are fall guys like Blagojevic so as to take the heat off the real top dog crooks like:
A- Jim Thompson (former Gov X 16 years, Director of CIA oversight committee under 1st
President Bush and member of 911 Commission under W)
B-Madigans (Speaker of the House Michael and his daughter Attorney General Lisa, who
lauder all the bribery money kicked back from State, County and City contracts through
their political fund “friends of Madigan”),
C-the Burkes, and
D-the Daleys(Richard - Chicago Mayor and partner of John Burge [the torturer to get
murder confessions] while he was state’s attorney, John - Cook Co. Commissioner who
controlled Co. Board President John Stroger Sr and his Son Todd who replaced him, and
William former Commerce Secr. under Cliniton and now wants to be Gov of IL and
therefore needs to discredit Blagojevic and Lisa Madigan).
A summary of the “system” running Illinois in my view is as follows:
Illinois for too long has been under the control of the:
1- Kingdom of former Gov. Jim (Prince John) Thompson and
2-his Lords, Chicago Mayor Richard M. and Cook Co. Commissioner John Daley (sons of former Mayor Richard J.), County Board Pres. John Stroger Jr. (son of former County Board Pres. John Stroger),
3-House Speaker Michael and his daughter Atty Gen. Lisa Madigan,
4-Alderman Ed (buddy of Fast Ed[dy] now convict Vrydoliak - both of them were leaders against African American Mayor Washington in the “cousel wars” 20 years ago) and IL. Supreme Court Justice Ann Burke,
5-former Sheriff (of Nottingham) Sheahan, and
6-State’s Attorney Richard (Gisbourne) Divine, as well as
7-other Lords such as former Sen. President Emil Jones and now his son Emil Jones Jr.
Political office is inherited in Illinois, elected by political patronage paid for by bribery (10% of all contracts SHALL be donated (kicked-back) to political funds such as “Friends of Madigan” and “Friends of Blagojevic”), and decided in closed back room “deals” (bribes, tit-for-tat, nothing to do with competency or experience, etc.).Its time we have a truth commission in Illinois to give clemency to low level players so that we can reveal the true extent of the corruption, encourage witnesses to come out of the woodwork and reveal their evidence, as well as start anew with a high level of transparency. We desperately need new blood in Illinois and help from the U.S. Attorney in breaking the cycle of corruption, bribery, kick-backs, patronage, and nepotism.
A UIC professor said: Patronage breeds corruption like garbage breeds flies. SOOO true in Illinois.
Other examples of inherited office in Illinois include US Representative Lipinsky and his son who replaced him in Washington DC, and Illinois Senate President Emil Jones and his son who has replaced him in the Senate.
Kim Long who authored a book about government corruption talks how corruption started in the colonial days and has continued with pockets of intense corruption in Illinois, Louisiana, and New Jersey.
. Precisely, Been thinking along the same lines, but thought the tinfoil was just getting tight
bookmark.
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